Building debt paid in full - OKC-Quayle UMC

Quayle members and Pastor Victor McCullough, in clergy robe, burn the church mortgage Sept. 29. Photo by Cherryl Seard

By Aloise McCullough

OKC-Quayle’s church sanctuary mortgage is paid in full.

The note was burned in a ceremony Sept. 29, in front of the worship edifice, as part of the church’s 123rd Anniversary Celebration. Cheers and shouts of joy rose as those present witnessed the historical document reduced to a piece of ash in a golden cistern.

Quayle Senior Pastor Victor McCullough said, "We gather to acknowledge that the God who has guided and provided for us is great and greatly to be praised."

Leaders in the ceremony included: anniversary speaker Dono Pehlman, founding pastor of Life Changing Faith Christian Fellowship, Frisco, Texas; Quayle Associate Pastor Erica Thomas; former Quayle pastors Bishop Bennie Warner (1982-87 and 2005-06), Donald Scott (1989-97), and Ernest Jackson (1997-2005); Charles Neal Jr. and Elaine Robinson, clergy who attend Quayle; and State Rep. Mike Shelton, District 97.

The church launched its one-year Lifestyle Stewardship Campaign in September 2012, to retire the building debt and free funds for other ministry areas. This goal was met and exceeded, according to Quayle officials.

"We can celebrate the goodness of God’s grace that blesses us to achieve this significant milestone," officials said in a statement. "Moreover, we position our congregation to use our financial resources for mission and ministry and not for paying interest on borrowed money."

By 2016, the church plans to fully renovate its facility to expand its reach.

The month of September was filled with exciting events as more than 300 people participated at the church. Activities included a North/South Oklahoma City District Meeting of United Methodist Women, the Negail Riley Anniversary Prayer Breakfast, an anniversary musical, and a dinner following the mortage-burning.

OKC-Quayle was founded in 1890, with its first location at the corner of Fourth and Robinson in downtown. Growth caused the church to move several times, until acquiring the current location, 5001 N. Everest Ave. The sanctuary debt had been generated by a building expansion on the property in 1997.

Past and present clergy and members young and old, as well as community leaders, spoke of how far Quayle has come and of the future vision for this church family.

"God is great and good," said Donna Neal Thomas, executive director of the stewardship campaign. "Surely our Blessed Savior will continue to guide us now, as He did our ancestors during the last century."